Enjoyed: Saturday, June 1, 2024

Listed on the menu: No, and the bartender told me she hadn’t made an Old Fashioned for probably over a year, but she would be happy to oblige me.

Ingredients: Crown Royal whiskey, angostura bitters, simple syrup. The bartender apologized twice for not having cherries or orange slices, which I consider to be staples for every open bar.

The occasion: The family had gathered at this pretty venue to witness and celebrate the marriage of my beautiful niece and goddaughter, Yasmin, to handsome and charming John. The dark clouds and wind provided more than enough drama that afternoon, and yet somehow, miraculously, the rain stayed away long enough for a touching outdoor ceremony. (The vows the groom wrote made the bridesmaids and many other women cry, and I even spotted a groomsman dabbing at his eyes.) The reception, fortunately, was indoors. We were treated to a large dinner and desserts, and then the party began. Some people allegedly have photos of me dancing in a cowboy hat with twinkling lights, but I can neither confirm nor deny this.

My rating: * out of 5. I should have stopped the bartender the moment she told me that the simple syrup had been refrigerated by another staff member. The bartender had to violently shake the bottle in order to get anything out. I think she tried to compensate for the lack of citrus peel by adding too many dashes of bitters, which hid the full taste of the whiskey. The ice made the simple syrup solidify even more, resulting in a layer of hard sugar at the bottom of the glass. I should have asked for the Crown Royal alone, but I have this tradition of drinking Old Fashioneds at special events, so I had to order one. The “bride’s drink” was a strawberry margarita, and those were delicious, so all’s well that ends well.

Final thoughts: Congratulations and best wishes to the newlyweds and to their parents. My “baby” sister was a stunning Mother-of-the-Bride yet again, and now she’s done. Poof! Both her kids are married! I am delighted that I have gone from zero to two nephews since last September. Welcome to our family, John and Adam!